The Parry Sound Power and Sail Squadron will hold their annual general meeting on April 27, 2013, from 14:00 to 17:00 at the Museum on Tower Hill in Parry Sound.
Please mark this date in your calendars. Additional details will be forthcoming.
Sail Parry Sound Film Event
All of you sailors will want to check out the film, “Racing Around the World Alone”, being shown by Sail Parry Sound at the Stockey Centre on April 6, 2013. Some additional details can be found in the clipping below, and at the Sail Parry Sound website through this link.
Great Lakes Data Resource
I was provided information by Gerry Shipman of Sound Boat Works and a squadron member concerning ice coverage maps for the Great Lakes a month ago, and promptly forgot about it.
With a little bit of digging I’ve managed to find the site the map was sourced from at the NOAA (US – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency). This site has lots of other information that will be of interest to squadron members including winds, waves, surface currents and much more.
There is also specific information on Lake Huron including Georgian Bay. I’ve pasted a screen clipping from one of the composite Lake Huron pages. If you go to the page you will be able to click on the individual maps for a larger image and more detail. It’s worth a look. I’ve placed a link directly from the image below to the corresponding web page in case you want to take a closer look.
Low Water Meeting Reports
Provided below is a list of the many documents that were prepared before and after the low water meeting that was held February 6th in Parry Sound. This meeting involved the Mayors, Chiefs and Reeves of Parry Sound and the surrounding communities. I was unable to attend because the meeting was closed to all but participants and the ‘official media’. But the North Star did a nice summary of the meeting, here’s a link to their article if you haven’t seen it already.
The Town of Parry Sound has, since the meeting, posted up the meeting report, the agreed meeting resolution, and the various presentations. You can access the town’s webpage through this link. Or you can open the individual documents through the links below. The Parry Sound Power and Sail Squadron has ‘inventoried’ these documents on this site to ensure continued access to them. Also note that the Town of Parry Sound webpage has a very useful link to the Township of the Archipelago’s website where there are associated documents on the low water issue.
Here are the links to the individual documents hosted on this site related to the low water discussions. They are also available on the Town of Parry Sound’s website through this link.
Mayors, Reeves, Chiefs, Meeting Notes
Mayors, Reeves, Chiefs, Meeting Resolution
Archipelago Presentation
Georgian Bay Association Presentation
Owen Sound Meeting Notes
Midland Meeting Notes
Oh Boy, New Records
Here’s a link to the Yankee opinion on the record low water levels that we are experiencing. They are as concerned as we are. And no they aren’t secretly piping the water down the Mississippi, they’re having the same problems we are but are well into the blasting stage to ensure navigation.
Worse Than a Receding Hairline
Flotsam and Jetsam – Late January Edition
Here are a couple of items that might not have floated past your field of view in the last couple of weeks. Let me know if you have any other items that may be of interest to this blog’s readers. (communications@parrysoundsquadron.ca)
For the Romantics: 30 Beautifully Haunting Shipwrecks From Around the World
For the Masochists: All You Need in a Boat: An 8-Foot Hot Tub and Four Coolers
And here is a scene from the past summer in the Parry Sound area to remind you how lucky we are to have access to the some of the finest boating waters in the world. The scene will be very familiar to many of you.
A New Navigational Hazard?
Do the Parry Sound Power & Sail Squadron courses cover this type of boating challenge – sandstorms at sea?
Here’s a link to an interesting photo essay on another challenge facing Australia, in this case a sandstorm photographed 25 nautical miles out at sea!
Does Someone Need A Power Squadron Refresher?
A couple of recent marine accidents make me wonder if some of the professionals need to take a Power and Sail Squadron refresher course. Perhaps navigation?
In the first case a professional pilot working in San Francisco Bay crashed an empty oil tanker into the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Apparently the damage was ‘relatively’ minor, but it is still somewhere north of $500,000. The pilot in question has had a few more ‘oops’ events in the last few years. Looks like he could use a navigation refresher. Here are some details.
The second more serious accident happened in New York City as one of the commuter ferries rammed into the dock injuring at least 57 people, 11 of them seriously. There may be some extenuating circumstances, but it still would be good for them to take a refresher. Here is a link to more information.
Taking a course with the Parry Sound Power and Sail Squadron is a great way to learn important navigation and boat handling skills from experienced boaters and sailors. Here’s a link to more for more information.
Boat Fires – A New Management Approach
Here’s a video that demonstrates some creativity on the part of a boater in dealing with a fire. I’m not sure it did any good in the end, but it does show initiative.
Happy New Year to all. Have you signed up for your Power and Sail Squadron courses yet? Time is running out.
Flotsam and Jetsam – mid-December Issue
The Beacon Star’s Season’s Greetings issue had a photo of future members of the squadron on their cover (bottom right). Their photo was taken as they rode on the squadron’s Santa Claus parade float a few weeks ago. Check it out; they had their life jackets on.
A squadron member has passed on a video link reinforcing why it’s a good idea to attach furniture to the floor and/or wall when you head out to sea. Despite the video’s title it apparently is a Pacific Sun Cruise liner riding out a storm off the coast of New Zealand on July 30th 2010.
Happy holidays to all. It’s a great time to think about upgrading or refreshing your boating skills. Check out the Parry Sound squadron’s course offerings for 2013.
Parry Sound Boating 